Applications & Apps Business

Cisco releases another result of its partnership with Apple-- Security Connector, an iOS app the company describes as a "first of its kind enterprise security solution" for iDevices.

Security Connector monitors network traffic generated by users and applications. Designed for company-owned iDevice running in supervise mode, it makes things easier for admins, since they only need to provision a single app even as it supports two extensions, Umbrella and Clarity.

In a move to add further security and policy management to the cloud-based messaging application Slack announces integration with 21 enterprise mobility management (EMM) platforms.

Such integration comes through collaboration with the open standards group AppConfig, as well as EMM providers VMware Airwatch, MobileIron and Blackberry Good. As a result, admins get the capability to ensure only approved devices (as in those complying with internal policies) can sign in to organisation Slack accounts.

"As more work moves to mobile, admins need a way to provide people in their company with the tools and devices they want to use-- without compromising security or policy requirements," the company says. "This is especially important at large enterprises where admins may have to manage how thousands of employees-- and their devices-- access sensitive data.”

Today’s employee consumes information in so many different ways (text, video, voice, data) in so many different formats (mobile more than desktop) and on so many different devices (tablets, smartphones, desktops, Chromebox etc).

In response, RMG Networks created KorbytGO, a mobile employee engagement app that takes a new approach to internal communications.

Designed as a single hub through which all necessary employee communications can run (from news and updates to training, performance management, resourcing and social updates) and in video as much as text (to match current trends).

Based upon RMG Networks own experience dealing with their Fortune 500 clients, KorbytGO is a one-stop solution to unify staff communications across all the various departments of an enterprise (any business of any size) through any preferred device.

KorbytGO can be customized by the client, giving integrators a great way to add value to internal communications.

KorbytGO is the mobile and desktop extension of Korbyt, RMG’s next-generation visual enterprise communications platform. So the mobile app is backed by Korbyt’s rich data and analytics capabilities that let organisations track and visualise employee engagement and performance. In real-time, it can pull info from various data sources and present it in a visual format for easy understanding—and to highlight action items.

“… Our goal is to deliver businesses with the means to truly engage with their employees from one powerful platform and create communications strategies that genuinely add value to an employee’s workplace experience. Whether that’s with tailored content that helps them meet a goal, a company acknowledgement of outstanding work or peer to peer social fun. KorbytGO is a valuable communications tool that is able to speak to an employee on an individual basis whilst also galvanise a workforce and create a sense of unity — we’re excited to see the impact it will have on our customers’ businesses,” comments Martyn Barnett, managing director of RMG in Eurasia.

A blog post by Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth dashes the dream of PCs and smartphones running on the same version of Linux-- the company is going to stop working on Ubuntu for phones and tablets.

Instead, the next version of Ubuntu (18.04 LTS) will shift back to the GNOME desktop environment.

“We will continue to produce the most usable open source desktop in the world, to maintain the existing LTS releases, to work with our commercial partners to distribute that desktop, to support our corporate customers who rely on it, and to delight the millions of IoT and cloud developers who innovate on top of it,” Shuttleworth writes. "The choice, ultimately, is to invest in the areas which are contributing to the growth of the company."

Opera announces it received a buyout offer worth $1.2 billion from a consortium of Chinese investors, one including billionaire Zhou Hongyi (owner of security and search company Qihoo 360) and ISP Beijing Kunlun Tech.

The company has been looking for a buyer since an August 2015 strategic review. Opera is of course best known for the web browsers of the same name, but it also offers the SurfEasy VPN service and owns a range of IP covering mobile and slimline web browsers for smart devices.

Belkin announces an addition to the Mixit DuraTek durable cable line-- a USB-C cable featuring Kevlar-reinforced conductors and double-braided nylon shielding on the outside.
The USB-C cable is certified by both...

Snap-- aka the rebranded Snapchat-- announces the Spectacles, its video-recording sunglasses, are now available in Europe, 7 months after an initial US launch.
For the unfamiliar, the Spectacles are a pair...